What challenges await Pope Leo?

WIll the Pope change cars to Cadillac? is this a political appointment or a religious one?

The conclave elected Cardinal Robert Prevost as the 267th pope surprisingly quickly on Thursday. Prevost, a native of the United States and a Peruvian citizen after having spent many years in the South American country, is a multilingual man of the world.

But what will the new pope focus on as head of the Catholic Church? He offered some clues in his first short address as Pope Leo XIV on Friday. For the first time, a pope spoke to the crowd not only in Italian, but in another modern language: a few sentences in Spanish for his “dear diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru.”

Leo also used the word “peace” 10 times, a concept which sounded embedded in the Bible most of the time. But when he spoke of this peace of a risen Christ being “an unarmed peace and a disarming, humble, persevering peace,” references to present conflicts came to the fore. “Evil will not prevail! We are all in God’s hands,” he said, following this with an appeal to building bridges.Leo XIV held his first Mass as pope on May 9 in the Sistine Chapel but his biggest challenge comes from distancing himself from the sex scandals in Boston that he was linked to.

Representing the US — and Latin America

Leo’s first speech was short but clear. Cardinal Reinhard Marx from Munich, who took part in the papal election, called the pope’s choice of language a “conscious decision” not to speak English or “to once again make a special reference to the United States.”

“The US bishops tell me that ‘we actually see him as a Latin American here. He is more on THAT side for us’,” said Marx, implying that the pope is not seen as inclined toward Europe.

This is perhaps the biggest coup of the papal election: The head of over 1.4 billion members of the Roman Catholic Church is now an American. This means that the president of the United States, who considers himself to be the most powerful man in the world, is opposed by a perhaps even more powerful man with global connections.

How will the relationship between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo unfold?

Marx suggested that Cardinal Prevost’s previous statements “were not all such that the president would be pleased every time.” As pope, he would “certainly not want to provoke now,” but his approach will likely depend on what the president does. Regardless, Leo will act freely, Marx said.

“He is certainly not the kind of man to now say: I come from the United States and will therefore not take a free and clear position,” Marx added.

Contradicting Trump and Vance

In contrast to most of the US bishops and cardinals, Leo has already publicly opposed Trump and his Vice President JD Vance, who became a Catholic a few years ago, in his few posts on X as a cardinal. But will he continue to do so?

Prevost has repeatedly defended the positions of Pope Francis and the Catholic Church on migration policy, the fight against climate change and stewardship of the environment. He also expressly recommended that Trump, who likes to place such objections in the corner of the “radical left,” read the former pope’s 2015 “Laudato Si” on ecological responsibility.

Just a few weeks ago, in response Vance’s attempts to explain the concept of charity to the church with regard to refugees and isolationism, Prevost tweeted: “JD Vance is wrong.”

Pontifical pluck?

Pope Leo’s inauguration mass on May 18 will be an exciting day. More than 200,000 faithful are expected to attend, along with dozens of state representatives and top politicians from around the world.

The word in Rome is that Trump plans to attend, setting the stage for Leo to meet his US compatriot. One thing can be assumed: at 69, Leo will most likely remain in office far longer than the 78-year-old Trump.

Prevost’s tweets have made it clear that under his leadership there will be no change of course for the Vatican on major political issues such as migration, the fight against climate change and global social responsibility. But with regard to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and an eye toward Leo’s frequent use of the word “peace” in his first address —diplomats expect the Vatican to take a clearer line than his predecessor Pope Francis, whose statements about the roles of perpetrator and victim in the conflict were ambiguous.On the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral on April 26, US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodoymyr Zelenskyy met in St. Peter’s Basilica.

A moral authority for new tech challenges?

One issue that will be important to Leo is also linked to his choice of name. Chilean Cardinal Fernando Natalio Chomali told longtime Vatican reporter Ines San Martin for the Detroit Catholic that Leo “is very concerned about the cultural shifts we are living through, a Copernican revolution really —artificial intelligence, robotics, human relationships.” Chomali added that the new pope was inspired by Leo XIII, who was pope from 1878 to 1903 during the Industrial Revolution and launched “an important dialogue between the church and the modern world.”

The new pope believes the church has a vital role to play in today’s moment of “perplexity,” Chomali added. “There is a revolution happening, and it must be addressed seriously.”

Leo faces ‘critical choice’ on clergy sex abuse

Since his election on Thursday, various actors have reportedly addressed one particular issue with the new pope. At the end of March, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, an international organization based in the US, filed a complaint with the Vatican against Prevost and five other cardinals, alleging a cover-up. After the election, the group reiterated its criticism.

On Friday, Hans Zollner, a former leading member of the Vatican’s committee against child sexual abuse, said he suspected the reactionary Peruvian Catholic community Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana was behind the accusations. Pope Francis and Prevost, during his time in Peru, took decisive action against this group. It was banned by Francis in early 2025, in part due to cases of abuse.

Ending Clergy Abuse, a global network of survivors, called on Leo to continue investigating abuse and to involve those affected. Questions about his response to such cases are “reigniting calls for transparency, independent investigation, and survivor inclusion,” the group said in a statement on Friday. “Pope Leo XIV now faces a critical choice: preserve a broken system or lead the into a future grounded in accountability and survivor-led reform.”

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Sources

Pope Leo XIV: Vatican sleuths are busy as new Pope takes the reins – BBC

This American pope: Leo XIV’s bloodline reflects the US melting pot – The Guardian

A bridge builder and quiet reformer. How Pope Leo will lead the Catholic Church – CNN

Opinion | Pope Leo XIV May Be a Stern Teacher for American Catholics – NYT